Q&Q contacted independent booksellers across the country to find out which Canadian kids’ books were most popular this year.
Lisa Doucet, a bookseller at Woozles in Halifax, noted that 2013 was a strong year for middle-grade books, including debut kids’ books by Sue MacLeod and Meghan Marentette.
Click the thumbnails below to read more about booksellers’ top kids’ books.
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- In Toronto poet Sue MacLeod's debut novel, 15-year-old Haligonian Jane becomes immersed in the story of a tragic historical figure named Lady Jane, a teenager who ruled England for nine days in 1553. Meanwhile, Jane is also dealing with the fickle world of teen friendships and romances, as well as a complicated relationship with her alcoholic mother. <br /> <br /> It sounds like a lot of ground to cover in one slim volume, and it is, but with sensitivity and some well-placed humour, MacLeod pulls it off, <a href="http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=8002">writes <i>Q&Q</i> BfYP editor Dory Cerny in her starred review</a>. Sue MacLeod successfully accomplishes a feat many more experienced writers struggle with: weaving an historical narrative smoothly into a contemporary storyline."<br />
- Namesake, Sue MacLeod (Pajama Press)
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- After the critical acclaim of Erin Bow's debut novel, <i>Plain Kate</i>, in 2010, the stakes were high for the author's sophomore novel, <i>Sorrow's Knot</i>. <br /> <br /> Even after a masterpiece like <i>Plain Kate</i>, Erin Bow does not disappoint - <i>Sorrow's Knot</i> is a beautifully told fable set in an imagined version of pre-contact native North America. This lyrical story is both fresh and familiar and perfectly crafted by an excellent storyteller, says bookseller Kristen Larmon of Munro's Books in Victoria.<br /> <br /> Read <i>Q&Q</i>'s starred review of <i>Sorrow's Knot</i> <a href="http://www.quillandquire.com/books_young/review.cfm?review_id=8111">here</a>.
- Sorrow's Knot, Erin Bow (Scholastic Canada)
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- In November, illustrator Barbara Reid received the $20,000 Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People for her body of work, which includes more than 20 books illustrated in her distinctive plasticine style. <br /> <br /> This year, Reid reimagined the classic Christmas story <i>The Night Before Christmas</i>, which was a favourite of several booksellers. <br />
- The Night Before Christmas, Clement C. Moore; Barbara Reid, illus. (Scholastic Canada)
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- <i>Lasso the Wind</i> is the first children's book by Toronto's poet laureate George Elliott Clarke, with striking illustrations by Susan Tooke. <br /> <br /> Woozles' Lisa Doucet says the book is a store favourite and has been selling extremely well. Although <i>Lasso the Wind</i> was released in early November, Doucet says she has already reordered the book. <br />
- Lasso the Wind: Aurelia's Verses and other Poems, George Elliott Clarke; Susan Tooke, illus. (Nimbus Publishing)
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- <i>The Great Bear Sea</i> by Ian McAllister and Nicholas Read is a follow up to the pair's earlier books, <i>The Salmon Bears</i> and <i>The Sea Wolves</i>. In their latest, the authors deliver an account of the inhabitants of B.C.'s coastal waters, with up-to-date science and full-page photographs. <br /> <br /> This is solid non-fiction: organized, clear, and reliable. What sets <i>The Great Bear Sea</i> apart from other books of its ilk, however, is the bumptious energy of its writing. Its spirit is that of two little boys, roaring around the seashore and calling to each other to see the latest cool thing, <a href="http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=8084"> writes <i>Q&Q</i> reviewer Sarah Ellis in a starred review.</a><br />
- The Great Bear Sea”Exploring the Marine Life of a Pacific Paradise, Ian McAllister and Nicholas Read (Orca Book Publishers)
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